1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an equipment using a keycapless keyboard. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus and method for adjusting a key range in an equipment using a keycapless keyboard.
2. Description of the Related Art
A keyboard represents an input device of a form such as a typewriter including Hangeul, alphabetic letter, numeric digit, specific character, and function keys. In general, the keyboard is used in conjunction with computing equipment as one of several input devices. The keyboard is divided into an electronic type and a mechanical type depending on a working principle. In the case of an electronic keyboard, a spring within a key is compressed by a key press, which causes an amount of electrical charge flowing in a circuit to be reduced. A circuit connected below the key measures an amount of electrical charge and detects one of a press and a non-press of the key. In the case of a mechanical keyboard, two electrical contacts below a key contact due to a key press, thereby causing electric current to flow. A circuit connected below the key detects the one of the press and the non-press of the key depending on one of a flow and non-flow of electric current.
With the development of an input device following the progress of technology, an input scheme of a form referred to as a touch screen has been developed. The touch screen functions as an input device by attaching a touch pad to a display unit. For example, a touch may be detected based on a user's fingertip or other object contacting with a screen through infrared rays radiated through the screen. Alternatively, the touch may be detected when the user's fingertip or other object contacts the screen based on a change of capacitance or resistance resulting from the contact. Accordingly, it is being taken into consideration to apply the touch screen technology to a keyboard. This is referred to as a touch screen keyboard or a keycapless keyboard.
By applying touch screen technology to a keyboard, a key of a physical form can be excluded. Due to this, problems of a physical separation of a key, contamination of the key, etc. are fundamentally solved. Further, shapes and positions of keys are not physically fixed and thus, there is a high degree of freedom for construction of the keys. By using this characteristic, shapes of keys constituting a keycapless keyboard can be suitably adjusted to a characteristic of a user. Accordingly, a scheme for suitably adjusting shapes of keys to a characteristic of a user has to be suggested.